I must confess… I have fallen in love with a certain Florence and her Machine. I tried to resist, but it turns out the British press and listening public were correct in their crowning the act (essentially a moniker for Florence Welch) the Next…Big…Thing. Her unique brand of art-pop, equal parts soulful, theatrical, and ethereal, hit the indie world by storm and her debut album Lungs became a bona fide hit overseas (it reached #2 in her native UK and eventually went Platinum).

This week’s focus is on the U.K., with commentary on singer-songwriter Jamie T and the British film, An Education, which has won two Sundance Film Festival awards.
Jamie T (born Jamie Alexander Treays) is on the verge. The singer-songwriter, who has drawn comparisons to the Arctic Monkeys, the Streets, and Lily Allen for his blistering observations on modern British youth culture, released his sophomore album Kings & Queens in the UK on September 7th to critical acclaim (The Guardian called it a “43-minute, all-killer, no-filler set of stunners”). His debut album, 2007’s Panic Prevention, was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize, spawned three top 20 hits in the UK, and was ultimately certified Gold.